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Apps such as Brouha can already deliver deals to customers’ phones as they walk around a store, but now we’ve come across an effort from Neiman Marcus that takes that concept a step further. The US luxury retail store is now trialling its NM Service app, which provides sales associates with consumer data they can act upon in real time. Developed by Signature Labs Inc, the app can be downloaded for free from the App Store. Customers can then select to “opt-in” to participate in the service, and a sensor at a Neiman Marcus store will detect when they walk through the door and launch the app. NM Service will provide information on new products and future events taking place at the outlet, as well as listing the sales staff currently instore. Those sales assistants can also have a version of the app tailored to them, alerting them when a participating customer enters the store. Sales assistants will also be presented with information on the customer’s previous purchases at Neiman Marcus outlets and their online shopping history, and the app will display an image from the customer’s Facebook page so that they can be easily identified. Both customers and sales associates are able to send messages to each other. Currently being tested in Neiman Marcus’ Austin, Dallas-NorthPark, San Francisco and Palo Alto stores, NM Service seeks to connect consumers with knowledgeable company employees and make interacting with the firm more sociable. Could this technology work for your brand? Spotted by: Judy McRae